Between You and Me

by Lynn Turner

  “Oh?”

  “Philip’s back from the business summit,” she said, looking at him tentatively. “He’ll want to meet and catch up on everything.”

  Finn simply nodded. “Does he know? That you don’t want to be the next Philip Hurst?”

  “He knows.” She sighed. “He’s trying to change my mind, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  He could understand Philip wanting to hold onto Emanuela. She was quick and she had a way with people. He tried not to think of any other reason Philip would want to keep her around. He knew he shouldn’t get carried away, but it gave him hope that her heart wasn’t firmly planted at Hurst Capital.

  “Get some rest. I’ll talk to you in the morning,” he said, smiling warmly at her.

  “Goodnight, Finn.” She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the screen.

  “Nite, Emmi.”

  ****

  Finn’s cell hummed in his pocket. It vibrated once for a couple of seconds and then stopped, so he knew it must be a text message. It was still early, barely nine o’clock, and only two people ever text messaged him, one of whom was sitting right next to him. He grinned.

  —You believe in God, so are you religious?—

  It seemed she wanted to continue her questionnaire this morning.

  “Everything okay?” Simon asked.

  “Everything’s great,” Finn said. “Unrelated.”

  “Cute, but we’re about to start an important meeting!”

  “I know, Sy. Relax, the ball’s in our court this time. They have to impress us.”

  Simon sighed. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”

  Finn responded to Emanuela’s text:

  —No. Are you?—

  Almost immediately, his phone buzzed again:

  —Not really. Love God, but not much experience with organized religion. : )—

  Simon glared at him, and Finn quickly tapped another message:

  —In a meeting. Talk soon, beautiful.—

  His phone hummed a final time:

  —Me too. Later, handsome.—

  Finn grinned again and put his phone away.

  “My God,” Simon said. “You two are children.”

  Before Finn could respond, their nine o’clock appointment walked into the conference room, and he and Simon stood to greet them.

  ****

  Emanuela reclined in the office chair, long legs crossed, shoes kicked off near the corner of her desk. She gnawed on the end of a pen and skimmed a hefty pile of documents. Her cell pinged and she glanced at the screen with a smirk. Her smile grew wider, and she typed a quick response, then put her phone back down and returned to reading.

  “I think I’m not working you hard enough,” Philip said from the doorway, a broad smile on his handsome face. “You look way too comfortable.”

  She sprang upright in her chair. “Philip! Welcome back!” She tossed her glasses and the proposal she was reading half-heartedly onto her desk. “How was Japan? Did I miss anything good this year?”

  “Whoa whoa whoa,” he said, stretching his palms out toward her. “Would you mind if I sat down before you bludgeon me with questions?”

  Emanuela grinned. “Please.”

  He looked her over, taking a seat on the couch. “You’re looking well, Em. Maybe it was a good thing for you to skip the summit this year, although you make much more entertaining conversation than Brian,” he said, crossing his legs. “It was a long flight.”

  “Thank you. I can imagine. Glad it wasn’t me stuck on a fourteen-hour flight with Brian this year. Did I miss anything good?”

  He chuckled. “Ah, let’s see… There were the usual LP and GP blokes going back and forth about their predictions. I can’t recall how many dinners and networking events we attended, if I’m honest. There were some interesting faces this year. Niklas Zennström was a keynote. You’d have enjoyed that one, I think.”

  “The Skype guy?” She could hardly conceal her excitement.

  “One of the Skype guys.”

  “Wow, I think he’s made more investments than even you have.”

  “Well he’s considerably smarter than I am.” He smiled. “But it’s his work in environmental research that caught my interest. He’s very involved in combating climate change. I think it’s really admirable—and brilliant. I don’t think we’ve invested in enough companies like that—green innovation companies. What do you think, Em?”

  “About green innovation or about Niklas being smarter than you are?”

  “Both.”

  She thought of something, and her head jerked to the side a bit.

  “Out with it,” he said.

  “Well, I think we’re already well on our way with our latest venture. I haven’t had a chance to catch you up on that yet but I think you’ll like where we’re headed.”

  “You’re obviously referring to our friends in Seattle.”

  “Mm-hmmm. They met with a few interesting people this morning, as a matter of fact. I thought I would brief you before we catch up with them later to see how everything went.” She was brimming with enthusiasm. It was catchy, she could tell, because his lips twitched and his dark eyes seemed to radiate toward her.

  He shifted on the couch, getting comfortable. “Brief away.”

  ****

  —I have to go or I’ gonna be late.—

  —Just tell me what color.—

  —Behave!—

  —Please?—

  —Fine. Blue.—

  —Light blue? Dark blue? Help me out, Emmi.—

  —Navy, OK? See you in a minute.—

  ****

  Emanuela took her seat at the spacious boardroom table with Philip and a few members of the team he recognized from other meetings. She was the last to arrive for their video conference, and he grinned at the knowledge that responding to his messages had held her up. She squirmed almost imperceptibly, obviously aware of him undressing her with his eyes. He forced his gaze away from her tempting form and tuned in to the meeting.

  “We’re very excited to announce our first hires for SimLife Laboratories,” Simon said proudly. “Phil Leahy is leaving Genencorp here in Seattle to join us in the research and development of artificial skin using recyclable materials. It’s so great what he’s been up to! Crab shells, for instance—”

  Finn cleared his throat to stop Simon’s inevitable sidebar into the wonders of organic materials for modern applications. Emanuela cut her eyes to Finn’s briefly, visibly stifling a giggle.

  “Forgive me,” Simon said, turning red. “I get excited at times and forget that I’m on borrowed time.”

  “No need, Simon!” Philip said. “I’m very interested in what you have to say. Perhaps after this meeting we can have a word?”

  “Absolutely!” Simon perked back up again. “Finn?”

  “Sure.” Finn took over. “We just completed negotiations this morning with Ikeda Terumoto, formerly of RoBiology in Silicon Valley, to help develop a means to power medical devices, including our smart limbs, using natural bodily systems. In addition to these projects, our lab will do regular contract work as the primary source of revenue.”

  “Great!” Philip slapped a palm on the table. “I think five-year contracts would be ideal. We only need two or three to keep the lab busy year-round. If you have anyone specific in mind, let’s review them and we’ll get talks started as soon as possible.”

  “We appreciate that,” Finn said, thankful that he and Simon weren’t going to be micromanaged.

  Having the freedom to choose their research and the staff employed by their lab was something Finn was adamant about from the beginning. He wanted to do meaningful work that he enjoyed; otherwise, he never would have started this project.

  —You OK? Lost you for a minute.—

  Finn glanced up to see Emanuela’s subtle smile. Philip and Simon were engaged in yet another tangent of discussion, so Finn and Emanuela had a few seconds to message each other unnoticed.r />
  —Great. You look beautiful.—

  She looked across the table, nodding a dismissal to her bored subordinates before tapping her response.

  —What’s your favorite color?—

  Finn suddenly needed to clear his throat again, shaking his head at a scowling Simon to let him know he was fine.

  —Navy.—

  Her grin nearly split her face in two.

  —Wish you were here.—

  —Me too.—

  Philip and Simon shared a few more minutes of the most animated exchange anyone had ever seen between two adults, and then Philip wrapped things up. “The next and most obvious step is to get you guys into a real lab! I’ll leave you in Emanuela’s more than capable hands for that. One of her many talents that I lack, is the ability to walk around big, empty spaces and envision something magnificent.”

  Emanuela glared at him and shook her head. “He makes me do all the grunt work and tries to make it sound good,” she said, smiling. “I look forward to cashing in on that rain check for dinner, Simon.”

  “So do I!” said Simon.

  They all exchanged goodbyes and the screens went black.

  ****

  “I really like those guys,” Philip said after a moment, moving to sit on the table’s edge near Emanuela’s chair. “Especially Simon. He’s very catchy. He could sell me a bridge, I’m sure of it!”

  “It’s hard not to like him.”

  “What do you make of Dr. Kane? He seems to be a man of few words.”

  “Fewer words than Simon, maybe. But he’s just as passionate about his work. Maybe more.”

  “I can see that. Shame I haven’t had a chance to meet them yet. We should have them out. Perhaps we can prevail upon your lovely Lydia for the task?”

  She stood and prepared to leave, trying not to let the elation show on her face. “Of course.”

  “I think we can wrap up for the day.” He glanced at his watch. “Unless I’ve got you locked in this tower for some dire reason?”

  “No, not this evening anyway,” she said with a laugh.

  “Great, then you can have dinner with me.”

  Her spine stiffened. She hadn’t anticipated Philip asking her out so soon. He’d only just returned, after all, and they were getting into the swing of things again. She opened her mouth to stammer a reply, but loud feedback pierced the room from the speakers before clicking to silence.

  Shit! Emanuela thought. The call was never disconnected!

  “Damn, that hurt,” Philip said, smiling at her until he noticed her bewildered expression. “Em? Are you okay?”

  “I can’t go to dinner with you, Philip,” she said, averting her eyes. Then she walked from the room.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She knew Philip would follow her. She considered leaving for lunch, though she wasn’t particularly hungry, to avoid being a sitting duck in her office, but she didn’t want to run away. This thing with Philip needed to be dealt with, but how? He was her friend—a dear friend—and she wanted to go about it carefully. She thought that there would be more time to get her thoughts together.

  Stupid, she berated herself. He tried to ask me out over a month ago! I should’ve known. Well, to be fair, it was just a hunch. Her instincts told her weeks ago that Philip wanted more than friendship. He knocked on her door, and her heart jumped.

  “Em? Can I come in?”

  She nodded and he stepped in, closing the door behind him. He silently sought permission to sit down, and she nodded again, trying to settle her nerves. He was quiet a moment, clearly gathering his thoughts. She couldn’t make direct eye contact with his questioning brown eyes. They seemed to pierce right through her clothes, seeking entry to her soul, so she focused on the pattern of lines on her palm instead.

  “I have to say, I’m a bit confused, Em.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Am I way off base, here?”

  “I—No, not exactly,” she said. “But things have changed…”

  “Have they?” He stood, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Then he moved to sit in one of the seats in front of her desk. “I swear there’s something between us. There’s always been something, hasn’t there? I forced it away because I value our friendship and it’s bad for business—You were so young, and I wasn’t ready for anything serious. It would have been serious with you, I’m certain of it.”

  He was a fount of information, pouring himself out like he’d been holding it in for centuries. “But then just a few weeks ago I started feeling optimistic. I let myself hope—because I could have sworn you felt it too. I know you did. We were standing right there.”

  He pointed to the place they’d stood weeks ago near her couch where she’d fired off all the reasons they needed to fund the Kane proposal. “If there’s one thing I’ve managed to be good at, it’s reading women,” he said with absolute certainty. “So what changed? Are you afraid?”

  There was a plea in his tone that brought Emanuela’s eyes up without her control. She immediately regretted it, because as soon as they locked with his, she saw that this conversation would be much more difficult than she anticipated. She thought, at most, she would bruise his ego—cause some awkwardness for a few days. She saw something in his eyes that told her it was much, much more. Her throat felt sore. “I admit that I’m…that I’ve been attracted to you. I can’t control that, but I never intentionally did anything to make you think that I was—that we should—”

  She stopped herself, cursing her ineptitude with the spoken word at the most inopportune times. She realized nothing she could say would be adequate. He wasn’t describing the physical attraction they’d had all along. That was something simple. Easy. What plagued him was much more complicated and it floored her. “I had no idea.”

  “I know,” he said gently. “We’re a conflict of interest in every possible way. I’m aware of that. I have been careful with you. I never wanted you to feel uncomfortable around me or in this office. The optics would have gone badly and I couldn’t forgive myself if all your hard work was reduced to being involved with me unprofessionally. I told myself I’d give you time—time to establish yourself here, and then time to get over Greg. Then I would use my undeniable charm to convince you to give me a go.”

  She wanted to smile, but the whole situation was making her chest hurt. She felt pressure there, afraid that what she said next could very likely destroy the friendship she’d grown to cherish. She forced herself to meet his eyes. She thought somehow she owed him that much. “I value our friendship too. I’m so grateful for it and I would be—it would hurt if I lost it.”

  His eyes softened, and he started to say something, but she needed to get the next part out. “I started seeing someone right around that time. It happened quickly but it’s gotten—serious—and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.”

  She winced at the distraught look miring his handsome face. She would give anything to become suddenly endowed with eloquence, an ease of speech that could help lessen his pain. She wasn’t granted such a mercy though, and was left staring at him, pleading with her eyes for him to understand and not resent her.

  The silence was uncomfortable. She willed herself not to fidget, to resist the urge to look away from the hurt in her friend’s eyes. Had she been aware of the depth of his feelings, she wouldn’t have delayed the conversation for so long. It wasn’t her fault, but she still felt terrible.

  He finally shook his head and stood. “The only person I’m disappointed in is myself. I missed my window again because I was too slow to move.”

  Emanuela didn’t know how to respond to that, so she gave him a small smile in return. He rounded her desk and she followed his movement with her head, tilting it back as he came to stand beside her chair. He took her hand and kissed it.

  “I wish no ill will for your relationship, Em,” he said. “But if the day comes that you are no longer attached, I’ll not move so slowly.” He walked to her door and opened it, turning to o
ffer his most devastating smile. “Stop worrying. Our friendship remains intact.”

  She smiled at him once more before he strode out her door.

  ****

  Finn was trying to keep his resolve. The only reason he replaced the phone into his pocket for the tenth time in more than an hour was because he promised Emanuela he would trust her. He took it out again, checking to see if he’d missed a call or text from her. Nothing. With a frustrated sigh, he put his phone back into his pocket and prepared to board the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island. It vibrated at the last second, and he fished it from his pocket again, not bothering to check the caller ID.

  ****

  “Hi.”

  Emanuela’s heart twisted at the strain in his voice. It was just the one syllable, but it was packed full of anguish. She knew he was miserable the rest of the afternoon waiting for her to call, but she couldn’t put off the conversation with Philip any longer, and she hoped Finn would understand.

  “Hi,” she said, softly. “Are you okay?”

  “No.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to hear that, Finn. I talked to Philip—right after, which is why I’m just calling you now—and everything’s okay. I took care of it.” His sigh was ragged. “Finn?”

  “Did you tell him? About me? About us?”

  “I—no. I told him I was seeing someo—”

  Finn released a string of curses. “Emanuela—”

  “It’s none of his business, Finn! He asked me out. I told him no. I told him I’m committed and I don’t want to mess it up. What more do you want me to say?” She was quickly getting upset, feeling exhausted and strained herself, and a little like she was being attacked.

  “That you’re with me. That you’re in love with me.”

  Emanuela gasped.

  “Why can’t you say it?” he asked, an edge to his tone.

  “You’re not being fair.”

  “Maybe not, but at the moment, I don’t care.”

  “Finn…”

  “He’s in love with you too. But you knew that.”

  “I didn’t know that,” she said. “Not until today. How did you—”

  “Oh come on! Any idiot could see he’s crazy about you! Always touching you, calling you pet names—”